leeway n
1. (of a ship or plane) sideways drift
2. a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits [syn: allowance, margin, tolerance]

Leeway \Lee"way`\ (l[=e]"w[=a]`), n. (Naut.) The lateral movement of a ship to the leeward of her course; drift.

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Leeway is the motion of an object that is floating in the water to leeward due to the component of the wind vector perpendicular to the object’s. Objects with a greater exposure to each element will experience more leeway drift and overall movement through the water than ones with less exposure.

A navigator or pilot on a vessel must adjust the ordered course to compensate for the leeway drift and more important set and drift, an all encompassing term for drift that includes the steering error of the vessel. A comprehensive guide to navigation principles can be found for free in Bowditch's American Practical Navigator (1995).

An object can be classified as either an active object like a ship navigating through a waterway or a passive object like a liferaft, drifting debris, or a person in the water (PIW) (Figure 3). A passive object will experience the greatest leeway drift and it is this drift that is of utmost importance to those involved in search and rescue (SAR) upon the inland waterways and open oceans.

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